Microsoft Acknowledges Early Xbox One Hardware Issues

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Every console launch brings with it a handful of hardware issues—the PlayStation 4 was a victim—and the Xbox One is no different. Soon after Microsoft’s living room machine went on sale, reports soon started coming out that the console was suffering from a number of different ailments, including broken disc drives, strange noises, blank screens and error codes. Microsoft, in a statement to IGN, immediately came out in defense of its baby, assuring that only a small number of units have been affected by problems.

“We’re working directly with those affected to get a replacement console to them as soon as possible through our advance exchange program,” Microsoft said in a statement, acknowledging that an issue exists. “Rest assured, we are taking care of our customers.”

Many instances of a particular failure are anecdotal, and don’t represent a wider, RRoD-scale issue—that we know of. As we saw in iFixit’s teardown, Microsoft has designed its console to have plenty of ventilation, ensuring the smallest possible chance for error. However, with a lot of the problems seemingly stemming from disc drive and other hardware-related issues, the design obviously isn’t faultless. But the good news is that the problems only affect a small number of units, for now.

TechnoBuffalo had two different units swing through its Irvine office, and didn’t notice any problems. Console launches are never flawless, so this was to be expected; the key will be whether Microsoft’s new machine can hold up over a longer period of time, and just how widespread the issues really are.